LEWISTON, Maine — The Maine Turnpike Authority will close this week on the purchase of the former Chalet Motel on Lisbon Street with plans to knock at least half of it down to create 75 spots for a new park-and-ride lot, Executive Director Peter Mills said.
It’s part of a $24 million project that overhauls Exit 80.
The MTA originally considered the former McDonald’s on Lisbon Street for the new park and ride. Bob Stone, the newest MTA member, challenged Mills to take a left turn from the lot.
“‘He said, ‘You go in there and try to come back out at commuter hour,’” Mills said. “So I did. I said, ‘You’re right.’”
Stone, a Lewiston native, said he was familiar with the stretch.
“People are flying both ways,” he said. “I’m all about safety; that’s why I lobbied for that.”
Mills said the MTA had the former hotel under contract for $400,000. The coming work at Exit 80 is a four-part, multi-year project, he said, with the first designs nearly complete.
“Phase 1 will build two ramps by the turnpike, one new exit and one new entrance adjacent to Gendron property,” he said. “That work could be commenced this construction season and be built in the space of 10 or 12 months.”
It likely means the loss of one or both of the park-and-ride lots on Alfred Plourde Parkway. The two combined have 75 to 80 spaces, used now by drivers hopping on the turnpike and workers taking Route 196 to Bath Iron Works.
Mills said the MTA is studying whether to knock down half of the hotel and find a buyer for the 42-room half-hotel left behind or knock it all down to create 150 parking spaces.
“I don’t think the MTA should be in the hotel business or property management business,” Stone said. “I say knock it down and have plenty of room for growth. As energy costs continue to rise, there will be a lot more carpooling.”
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MTA is studying whether to knock down half of the hotel and find a buyer
for the 42-room half-hotel left behind or knock it all down
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They could let MSHA take it and convert those rooms into efficiency type apts. Considering the location, tenants should be easily able to carpool to a job from there.
Your idea may have merit, but when was the last time that you heard of two of our government agencies collaborating on a project in the interest of the taxpayers?
I’m thinking if the Turnpike Authority has $24 million, does that mean tolls are higher than they need to be?
What a waste of money an i though Mills was there to save money 24 million for 150 spaces that’s 160,000 per space plus maintenance
The cost of the “parking lot” is $400,000. The entire project is the 24 mil. so that gets it down to 4500. per space. The folks that have suggested low income housing have an idea with merit, then again do I want to leave my car in a lot where this is low income housing. I have nothing against low income housing, but sometimes the crime rate is higher.
like i said its a waste of money if they have that money on hand they could call in some of the bonds they have out .
I agree with you! I think that they could actually do without the entire project.
Egad, you reveal yourself as someone who hates the environment, women, children, the elderly, minorities and the poor. For shame!
Actually I’m a registered D, and a liberal one at that. What I don’t like is the current administration in Augusta, that includes all departments.
What is the current usage at the existing lots and did we need to spend that kind of money for a parking lot. All the right questions are never answered in these projects when they are publicized.
A $24 million overhaul to the #80 Exit……during a projected budget crisis…..Thank goodness the past corruption at the MTA has been resolved…..
Put Paul V. in as night manger to pay back the pike. O and Dale M could clean the roomsand pay back MSHA.
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Its only “affordable” for the tenants, for the rest of us it’s $300 per square foot.
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How about a “Park and Gamble”?
Where is the state gettingall this money to tear down the building when they cant even repair the roads. more people losing thier jobs as motel employees
I have my doubts about the ideas that it could be converted to efficiency type apartments. The low price suggests that the building is in very bad shape. Otherwise, some local entrepreneur would have done just that.
Don’t it always seem to go. That you don’t know what you’ve got til its gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
Are they using gift cards?
Seems to me that the cost of $24 million dollars for 75 parking spaces is rather exepnsive.
they are going to pave paradise and put up a parking lot!
If exit 80 had been built properly a few years ago when they changed it before the wouldnt have to rebuild it again. They basically extended it so that it directed traffic into a motel parking lot , some private interest there i believe! Oh yes, and it was used so that ten trucks a day could easily find the business park behind the Ramada !